Symphony No. 2

Usko Meriläinen

Symphony No. 2

Bote & Bock

Description

Symphony No. 2 continues along the same lines as the orchestral work Epyllion completed the previous year. Meriläinen has abandoned dodecaphony and turned instead to the more freely-shaped gestures that preceded his ‘character technique’. Written as one movement, the symphony falls into three main sections (slow-quick-slow), the last of which to some extent returns to the material of the opening one. The middle section is scherzo-like in character though it acquires an aggressive tone at the climax. Its distinctive features are its numerous cloud-like formations in which the details dissolve beneath the overall texture. The melodies, on the other hand, have an almost expressionistic quality.